In its place is new seating, an orchestra pit that can be raised or lowered, 60-by-120-foot screens flanking the stage, glass tile-adorned columns, more restrooms, renovated back-of-house areas and new carpeting, stage rigging, curtains and mechanical systems - including, at last, air conditioning for performers working under hot stage lights.

The Lila Cockrell, sandwiched between the Convention Center and the Grand Hyatt, will reopen Friday with a Rick Springfield concert that's part of the Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon celebration.

The city's Convention Sports and Entertainment Facilities office is working to organize a mid-December free holiday laser light show, which would function as a sort of community open house to introduce residents to the theater's new look.

The Moscow Ballet will perform "The Nutcracker" on Dec. 26, and an official rededication ceremony will be held in January for former Mayor Lila Cockrell's birthday.

"It was from a bygone era. I think they did the carpet in here once," said Mike Sawaya, the city's director of Convention Sports and Entertainment Facilities. "It's great to see such a jewel. It's representative of a modern, progressive city."

Save for some brick walls and marble panels, nearly every part of the interior is new. But two original lobby chandeliers were saved and cleaned with surprising results.

Architects had assumed the monumental chandeliers were made of a yellowish, frosted milk glass. But once an electrician cleaned them with plain old Ivory soap, it turned out that the chandeliers' clear glass had been caked in cigarette smoke, a remnant from the days when the stylish thing was to smoke during intermission.

"They were that dirty," said Mary Bartlett, associate partner at Marmon Mok Architecture.

Newly installed LED lights mean the chandeliers can change color for various events or performances.

A quatrefoil design used throughout the theater - on seatback fabrics, signage and on lighting - plays on the city's tourism logo.

Backlit LED panels in the foyer and inside the theater showcase artwork by San Antonio photographer Ansen Seale. The suite of photos is called "Confluence: Flowing Together" and is an aquatic nod to the Juan O'Gorman mural on the building's exterior, "Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas."

Seale kayaked to the confluence points where San Antonio's creeks meet up with the San Antonio River to take the photographs, which appear like underwater windows in the theater.

"It's like you're looking out windows," Seale said. "That was my idea, that it needed to be opened up a little bit."

The building sits elevated on piers. But to place the needed new mechanical rooms underneath, contracting company Thos. S. Byrne Ltd. first had to excavate 1,500 cubic yards of dirt and river muck that had built up over the years. The work was done by hand using shovels and wheelbarrows before waterproofing.

The theater lost a few seats, going from a little more than 2,400 to 2,300 thanks to more comfortable seating and a slightly different floor plan, which allowed for such things as more aisles so people don't have to climb over as many laps to get to their seats. Flexible areas mean additional seats can be added to the 2,300, though.

Accessibility and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act was improved throughout the building, including adding access to both front-row seating and the stage, which didn't exist before, Sawaya said.

And a new audio-visual system means theater users can do multimedia presentations, concerts, lectures or general meetings for large convention events.

Downstairs on the River Walk level, meeting and rehearsal rooms can function as spaces for weddings, seminars and receptions. Glass walls open to the river accordion style, expanding the space further.

Sawaya said the new theater is more adaptable and comfortable for both performance companies and convention users who may need breakout rooms or large meeting areas.

"You leave it to the event planners or the promoter," he said. "It's flexible enough to give them options."

The $26 million project was paid for with hotel occupancy tax revenue bonds and construction started 15 months ago.